Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Ramlah Ram, Shidee and Wany Hasrita paid a befitting tribute to legendary "hit man" Datuk Seri Ahmad Nawab
THE 1960s film To Sir With Love, a biopic of Guyanese educationist and diplomat E. R. Braithwaite saw the great man teach a class of low-achieving students from East London, and turn their lives around.
Popular singers Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Ramlah Ram and Shidee, while hardly "low-achievers", took their music to greater heights and became household names of Malaysian music with lots of help from their very own "sir".
For three nights beginning July 1, they and promising young singer Wany Hasrita who excels in singing "golden oldies" paid a glowing musical tribute to National Artiste Datuk Seri Ahmad Nawab in a two-hour concert at Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.
Konsert Tribute Seniman Negara Datuk Seri Ahmad Nawab was produced by Jamal's company Bin Jamal Events Sdn Bhd and supported by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, the National Culture and Arts Department, Istana Budaya and Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
SPECIAL GUESTS
The tribute to Ahmad was aimed at celebrating the life and music of the Penang-born composer and saxophonist who has produced more than 200 albums and composed more than 2,000 songs since the 1950s.
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall Orchestra opened the concert with an instrumental medley of Ahmad's gems at 9pm sharp, and the master of ceremonies Fathil Hidayat Ghazali of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) fame introduced Shidee as the first artiste for the evening.
MUSICAL MAGIC
Dressed in a stylish, silver suit and black shirt, Shidee serenaded the packed Panggung Sari theatre hall with his best known song Janganlah Menghancurkan, before greeting the audience "good evening".
"I'll always be thankful to Datuk Ahmad for making me who I am today. He's a music-maker who knows the right song for the right singer, and what he creates is magical," said Shidee.
"I wish I could have visited him more over the last few years, and I want to thank my old friend Jamal for this wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to my music mentor and meet him as well."
BIG HAND
Shidee also delivered two groovy songs which Ahmad composed for iconic 1970s and 1980s singers Dato Shake and the late Latif Ibrahim.
They were Shake's Kau Bungaku and Latif's Pilihlah Aku, which saw the crowd singing along to its catchy chorus.
Ramlah came next, dressed in a jet black blouse and matching slacks.
The energetic former Bintang RTM champion performed two songs namely her own single Cintaku Hanyut Di Lautan Sepi and the late Datuk Sharifah Aini's poignant ballad Tiada Maaf Bagimu, to roaring applause.
As she greeted her fans, Ramlah encouraged them to once again give Ahmad a "big hand".
"Datuk Ahmad is not only a hit-maker but also a star-maker. Many of Malaysia's most timeless songs are his creations, and they're loved by fans of all generations," she said.
CRISP AND CLEAR
Elegant in a ruby red dress, Khadijah emerged next with her trade-mark hits Ku Gembira Di Samping Mu and Sabar Menanti.
The celebrated songstress proved that she was still a force to be reckoned with, as her voice was crisp, clear and powerful as ever, and likewise her charisma, stage presence and energy level.
The "baby" of the evening, Wany performed two of Sharifah's greatest hits beautifully.
Her renditions of Oh Di Mana Mustika Hati and Kau Tinggi Di Awan Biru were heartfelt and melodious.
And even though no singer could ever sound as good as Kak Pah, Wany did justice to the late legend's classics by giving them her own soulful interpretations.
SWEET AND MATURE
Wany's third song for the evening was also commendable, Kali Terakhir Ku Lihat Wajahmu made popular by Uji Rashid. Her sweet, yet mature-sounding voice easily matched Uji's.
Malaysia's king of pop finally emerged, dressed in a smart, grey suit, white shirt and black trousers.
Jamal belted out tear-jerkers Sendiri and Perpisahan Tanpa Relamu beautifully, with his manly voice sounding richer than ever.
"I'm so glad that we've finally made it. Over the last few months we all rehearsed very hard to give fans and Datuk Ahmad the best concert of all, and here we are today!" said Jamal with a smile.
RIGHT ON TIME
Ramlah then returned with her trade mark song Kau Kunci Cintaku Di Hatimu, before joining Shidee in a duet made popular by Uji and Hail Amir, Bertemu Untuk Berpisah.
Shidee then remained on stage to sing the bittersweet and catchy Sayang Semuanya Sudah Terlambat, with his fans readily completing certain lines.
"Contrary to the song, all of us are right on time!" he said jokingly.
HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL
Wany then sang Puan Sri Saloma's sensual Bossanova, reintroducing the once-popular song to younger audiences, and teamed up with Jamal for a hauntingly beautiful duet, Taman Firdausi which was made popular by Saloma and her husband Tan Sri P. Ramlee.
After this, Jamal remained on stage to sing his chart-topping gems Aku Penghiburmu and Seniman Menangis, the latter being his "biggest musical challenge" of all time.
"It's a song that really taxed me. I was initially terrified of the song, but Ahmad kept telling me, you can do it, think positively!" said Jamal, who "took time" to master its soaring chorus.
SING ALONG
Jamal then gave fans his second duet for the evening, the timeless Seiring Dan Sejalan, a duet with Khadijah which was originally recorded by Sharifah Aini and the late Indonesian crooner Broery Marantika.
Fans readily sang the chorus "tawa, ria" each time Jamal and Khadijah pointed their microphones at them.
ROMANTIC AT HEART
After one more enchanting song from Khadijah, Ku Sangka Siang Kiranya Malam, Fathil Hidayat re-emerged, and introduced the real star for the evening, Ahmad.
The legendary maestro, who looked frail but in good spirits, had a brief, informal chat with Fathil, who had known him for more than two decades.
"Music is part of me. It is the sound of my soul. Quite often, I liken it to a beautiful woman, as I'm a romantic at heart," said Ahmad, to the applause of the crowd.
MATCHING SONGS
Ahmad revealed that he composed his first song Bintang Malam when he was only 16, and shared his secret behind matching the right song with the right singer.
"I create songs based on the character of the person who wants to sing them. That's the basic formula that I adhere to," he said.
PATRIOTIC GESTURE
Ahmad also shared an interesting story with his fans, which happened during the early years of Merdeka.
"When I was entertaining some British soldiers, a military officer scolded me for not playing God Save The Queen," he said.
"Nevertheless, I played Negaraku for that is my country's national anthem."
IN MANY LANGUAGES
Ahmad, 89, also revealed that his last major patriotic song Malaysia Truly Asia, which was recorded by Khadijah in 2000, had since been sung in 18 languages, and was even recorded in London and Paris.
"I'm really proud of this song, as it is my heartfelt contribution to the beauty of my motherland."
ENDING WITH A BANG
All five singers then returned to the stage to end the concert with a bang.
They performed the powerful ballad Kasih, which Ahmad originally created for the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad, but which ended up being performed live by Broery first.
"Thank you Datuk Ahmad. We all love you!" said Jamal to the applause of the crowd.
FAVOURITE SONGS
Ahmad, the unsung hero behind the successful careers of many local artistes, was honoured as the country's seventh National Artiste by the then culture, arts and heritage minister Tan Sri Rais Yatim in 2006.
Throughout the concert, Bin Jamal Events projected on screen dozens of photos of Ahmad performing on stage and working behind the scenes with his best known proteges.
Also shown were interviews with Ahmad over the years, as well as with the artistes of the evening, who spoke about their favourite songs which he composed.